The first vintage for this bottling. One of the first major acquisitions that Olivier Krug (6th generation) made after he joined in 1991 was of a small parcel (0.68 ha) of Pinot Noir in Clos d'Ambonnay. This purchase was kept secret from everyone, including from LVMH through their acquisition of Krug in 1999. The first time the world found out about this wine was on release in 2007.
The wine was fresh, crisp, and while I was trying to pace myself, I kept drinking it. Toasty notes of nutty bread being baked in the distance. Sharp acid that's so superbly balanced, with the feeling of citrus and lemon but without the puckering. Flowers emerge, somehow blue in nature, faint teasing of berries and a mouthwatering freshness that fills the mouth like a ripe pear. Hardly feels like it's been 17 years since disgorgement.
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Fresh and intense, with notes of biscuit, green apple and grilled nuts. The palate is deep, vinous and powerful. It has citrus tang, plenty of chalk and a chewy/ phenolic finish of terrific length.
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Inaugural vintage of this amazing wine. Tons of notes - lemon, orchard fruits, apple peel, toast, carmel, flowers. Good acidity and energy. A really well balanced wine that feels in the plateau but no rush to drink at all. Would love to try this again in 10 years - my guess is it will have moved very little. A wine for the ages.
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One of those wines I am thrilled to have tasted, and even happier someone else paid the freight. The debut vintage for this insanely expensive wine showed loads of brioche, apple, Meyer lemon peel. stone, rocks and minerality. Concentrated and lushly textured in its effervescence, clearly, this is a very good Champagne. But there are better places for your $2,500 for a single bottle of wine.
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Light funk, strengthening spice and dry white flowers on the racy nose. Floral high notes sweeten with air time. Firm acid on the palate but crisp rather than harsh, light meyer lemon. Good textural complexity but not sticky. Better with more time. 95+
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Farve-a-thon 4.0: Our lone Ambonnay, but it didn't need company. While great on release, this champagne has moved to a whole new level of late. World class.
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Haven't had this for a while, and I thought this bottle was smoking. Definitely class in the glass. The debate at the table was between whether its built essentially for the long-term (yes), if its also very enjoyable now (again, a yes from me), or both. We had it along side the just releasing 2000 d'Ambonnay, which I liked a lot. One or two of the ten of us liked the 00 better than the 95.
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Light funk on the nose with savory perfume, gouda, wood notes, warm bread and oyster shell. Honeysuckle emerges with air time. Light wood and vanilla on the palate with a background sweetness. Extremely strong acidity. This wine is built for the ages, but is starting to open up for current enjoyment. This should merit an even higher score in the future. 96+
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Dinner with the Best of Krug, with Olivier Krug (Northbrook, IL): Served in a complete historical vertical of Krug d'Ambonnay 1995, 1996, 1998. Like all three, I would have thought this red Pinot Noir if served blindfolded. Strawberry and raspberry throughout with some subtle spice.
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Very pleasant and complete wine. Fine mineral and fresh red fruits. Delicious and easy to drink. I wish there was a bit more power and acidity. Very good, but the price is insane.
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Krug Tasting @ Wijnhandel Peeters. (Rotterdam, Netherlands): Krug Clos d’Ambonnay celebrates, with the rarest of Champagnes, the unique character of a particular Pinot Noir grape. They are harvested in a tiny walled 0.68-hectare plot in the heart of Ambonnay, one of the most distinguished villages for this grape variety in Champagne, and one which has played a very special role in the life of the House of Krug. Krug’s savoir-faire has successfully revealed the depth and intensity of grapes of this single plot in the year 1996, enhanced by over twelve years in the cellar gaining finesse and elegance ... Light golden color. Aromas of brioche, hazelnuts and citrus. The palate was lasersharp with superb delineation and high-pitched acidity, yet backed by earthy fruit and tremendous character. Still a mere baby at this stage, great potential and should develop well over the next 20 years and so this cuvée I believe wil improve another 3 points, for now
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Opened two bottles, both aired for a minimum of forty-five minutes before pouring. Again, it was fascinating to drink this along side a magnum of 1995 Krug. Shows amazing agility and deftness if this can be said of a great Champagne. (Bottles 42 and 59)
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An amazingly beautiful fresh, elegant experience from start to finish. It seemed to dance around and over the two magnums of 1995 vintage served alongside. Expecting it to slowly unwind and reveal more layers of complexity over the years. (Bottle 71)
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Clos d'Ambonnay Verticle (Otto e Mezzo): I usually don't write up on Champagne but would seem impolite not to mention this amazing verticle tasting we had with Olivier Krug. Definitely the first Clos d'Ambonnay verticle in HK featuring the fresh off the boat 1998 but perhaps the first verticle tasting featuring this lineup in the world outside the vicinities of Krug. We started with the 95 Clos d'Ambonnay. Intense cinnamon toast with autumnal apple aromas. Fresh citrus fruits and honeyed nuts fill the palate. Classic elegance with an extremely rich expression of pinot fruits. Exceptional finesse.
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4/29/2024 - BradE wrote:
This has always been great and tonight was no exception.
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4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote: 96 Points
Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): A real treat to taste this wine. First release of the d"Ambonnay. Beautiful mouth feel and texture. Full and rich. What's not to like, other than the price.
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4/26/2024 - solarpivot Likes this wine: 96 Points
The first vintage for this bottling. One of the first major acquisitions that Olivier Krug (6th generation) made after he joined in 1991 was of a small parcel (0.68 ha) of Pinot Noir in Clos d'Ambonnay. This purchase was kept secret from everyone, including from LVMH through their acquisition of Krug in 1999. The first time the world found out about this wine was on release in 2007.
The wine was fresh, crisp, and while I was trying to pace myself, I kept drinking it. Toasty notes of nutty bread being baked in the distance. Sharp acid that's so superbly balanced, with the feeling of citrus and lemon but without the puckering. Flowers emerge, somehow blue in nature, faint teasing of berries and a mouthwatering freshness that fills the mouth like a ripe pear. Hardly feels like it's been 17 years since disgorgement.
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11/13/2022 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Fresh and intense, with notes of biscuit, green apple and grilled nuts. The palate is deep, vinous and powerful. It has citrus tang, plenty of chalk and a chewy/ phenolic finish of terrific length.
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1/21/2022 - bill00 wrote: 97 Points
Fantastic bottle. Big, rich pinot fruit. Incredible texture. Plenty of acid, but it's well integrated. This is in a great spot right now.
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7/1/2018 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 96 Points
Inaugural vintage of this amazing wine. Tons of notes - lemon, orchard fruits, apple peel, toast, carmel, flowers. Good acidity and energy. A really well balanced wine that feels in the plateau but no rush to drink at all. Would love to try this again in 10 years - my guess is it will have moved very little. A wine for the ages.
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8/17/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
One of those wines I am thrilled to have tasted, and even happier someone else paid the freight. The debut vintage for this insanely expensive wine showed loads of brioche, apple, Meyer lemon peel. stone, rocks and minerality. Concentrated and lushly textured in its effervescence, clearly, this is a very good Champagne. But there are better places for your $2,500 for a single bottle of wine.
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11/7/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Light funk, strengthening spice and dry white flowers on the racy nose. Floral high notes sweeten with air time. Firm acid on the palate but crisp rather than harsh, light meyer lemon. Good textural complexity but not sticky. Better with more time. 95+
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7/10/2015 - mjg87 wrote:
I wish I could say more about this wine, but all I wrote down was “really good!” And it was.
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7/10/2015 - BradE wrote:
Farve-a-thon 4.0: Our lone Ambonnay, but it didn't need company. While great on release, this champagne has moved to a whole new level of late. World class.
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4/23/2015 - BradE wrote:
Haven't had this for a while, and I thought this bottle was smoking. Definitely class in the glass. The debate at the table was between whether its built essentially for the long-term (yes), if its also very enjoyable now (again, a yes from me), or both. We had it along side the just releasing 2000 d'Ambonnay, which I liked a lot. One or two of the ten of us liked the 00 better than the 95.
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4/22/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 96 Points
Light funk on the nose with savory perfume, gouda, wood notes, warm bread and oyster shell. Honeysuckle emerges with air time. Light wood and vanilla on the palate with a background sweetness. Extremely strong acidity. This wine is built for the ages, but is starting to open up for current enjoyment. This should merit an even higher score in the future. 96+
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11/4/2014 - psmith wrote: 97 Points
Krug Dinner (Northbrook, IL): Violets and blueberry notes. Great balance. Full, bright, and with great detail. Chocolate undertones. Really good.
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11/4/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Dinner with the Best of Krug, with Olivier Krug (Northbrook, IL): Served in a complete historical vertical of Krug d'Ambonnay 1995, 1996, 1998. Like all three, I would have thought this red Pinot Noir if served blindfolded. Strawberry and raspberry throughout with some subtle spice.
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10/25/2014 - mwanasheria Likes this wine: 96 Points
A big champagne. Nose of brioche, yeast. On the palate tightly wound fruit, crystalline minerality, lots of energy. Interesting.
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9/15/2013 - valjone wrote:
Monstrous. Needs at least an other couple of years. Acidic and tight. Drinkable the next morning and starting to show what Krug is all about.
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12/13/2012 - bongos wrote:
Very pleasant and complete wine. Fine mineral and fresh red fruits. Delicious and easy to drink. I wish there was a bit more power and acidity. Very good, but the price is insane.
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3/10/2012 - Barry Rothof wrote: 94 Points
Krug Tasting @ Wijnhandel Peeters. (Rotterdam, Netherlands): Krug Clos d’Ambonnay celebrates, with the rarest of Champagnes, the unique character of a particular Pinot Noir grape. They are harvested in a tiny walled 0.68-hectare plot in the heart of Ambonnay, one of the most distinguished villages for this grape variety in Champagne, and one which has played a very special role in the life of the House of Krug. Krug’s savoir-faire has successfully revealed the depth and intensity of grapes of this single plot in the year 1996, enhanced by over twelve years in the cellar gaining finesse and elegance ... Light golden color. Aromas of brioche, hazelnuts and citrus. The palate was lasersharp with superb delineation and high-pitched acidity, yet backed by earthy fruit and tremendous character. Still a mere baby at this stage, great potential and should develop well over the next 20 years and so this cuvée I believe wil improve another 3 points, for now
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12/11/2011 - Corgi wrote: 98 Points
Opened two bottles, both aired for a minimum of forty-five minutes before pouring. Again, it was fascinating to drink this along side a magnum of 1995 Krug. Shows amazing agility and deftness if this can be said of a great Champagne. (Bottles 42 and 59)
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11/28/2011 - Corgi wrote: 96 Points
An amazingly beautiful fresh, elegant experience from start to finish. It seemed to dance around and over the two magnums of 1995 vintage served alongside. Expecting it to slowly unwind and reveal more layers of complexity over the years. (Bottle 71)
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11/22/2011 - winecowboy wrote: 94 Points
Clos d'Ambonnay Verticle (Otto e Mezzo): I usually don't write up on Champagne but would seem impolite not to mention this amazing verticle tasting we had with Olivier Krug. Definitely the first Clos d'Ambonnay verticle in HK featuring the fresh off the boat 1998 but perhaps the first verticle tasting featuring this lineup in the world outside the vicinities of Krug. We started with the 95 Clos d'Ambonnay. Intense cinnamon toast with autumnal apple aromas. Fresh citrus fruits and honeyed nuts fill the palate. Classic elegance with an extremely rich expression of pinot fruits. Exceptional finesse.
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6/7/2009 - JJL wrote: 94 Points
Very horsey on nose to start, almost like an older Bordeaux. Moved to
popcorn and sour apple, very smoky. Lots of tomato on palate.
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